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A provocative story about the return home of teenage war hero and war victim, Francis Joseph Cassavant, to confront his past - the youth leader he idolized and who betrayed him - and the girl he still loves.

Synopsis

Heroes by Robert Cormier

A provocative story about the return home of teenage war hero and war victim, Francis Joseph Cassavant, to confront his past - the youth leader he idolized and who betrayed him - and the girl he still loves.

Reviews

Hero Francis Cassavant has recently returned from World War II hideously disfigured by a grenade, intent on killing erstwhile youth leader Larry LaSalle, now also a wounded hero. In flashback we learn of LaSalle's assault on Nicole, a young girl whom Francis adored. The style and voice is evocative of Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, and Cormier captures the obsessiveness of Francis's mission. A gripping thriller for mature readers. Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. (16 yrs +) (Kirkus UK)

About the Author

Robert Cormier (pronounced kor-MEER) lived all his life in Leominster, Massachusetts, a small town in the north-central part of the state, where he grew up as part of a close, warm community of French Canadian immigrants and lived with his wife, Connie, also from Leominster, and where they raised their three daughters and one sonâ€”all adults now. They never saw a reason to leave. â€œThere are lots of untold stories right here on Main Street,â€ Cormier once said.

A newspaper reporter and columnist for 30 years (working for the Worcester Telegram and Gazette and the Fitchburg Sentinel), Cormier was often inspired by news stories. What makes his works unique is his ability to make evil behavior understandable, though, of course, still evil. â€œIâ€™m very much interested in intimidation,â€ he told an interviewer from School Library Journal. â€œAnd the way people manipulate other people. And the obvious abuse of authority.â€ All of these themes are evident in his young adult classic and best-known book, The Chocolate War. A 15-year-old fan of Cormierâ€™s told him, â€œYou always write from inside the person.â€

In 1974, Cormier published The Chocolate War, the novel that is still a bestseller. Instantly acclaimed, it was also the object of censorship attempts because of its uncompromising realism. In a front-page review in a special childrenâ€™s issue of The New York Times Book Review, it was described as â€œmasterfully structured and rich in theme,â€ and it went on to win countless awards and honors, was taught in schools and colleges throughout the world, and was translated into more than a dozen languages. I Am the Cheese followed in 1977 and After the First Death in 1979.